Focal - JM Lab Owner's Thread - Page 169

Very nice indeed. I am sure they sound great with that Pass Lab amp.

First, welcome .
Second, no need to be embarrassed. I have heard about, and read about the Chorus series. They all seem to be great speakers. I think you will be happy with them. Make sure you post your thoughts about them as well.

I just wanted to check in here in the owners thread; Ive been on here for quite a while now but have little or no (I cant remember) posts! I recently dove into a 2 channel setup for my new house, which consists of a pair of 826v's and a Krell S300i Amp...

Needless to say Im in LOVE! My plan is to work my way up the ladder with an upgrade each year and Im already thinking about what will be next!

New to the AV world and this will be my first setup. Speakers are 2 focal 714V (130max power, 8 ohm, sens 91db), center is focal profile CC908 (150max power, 8 ohm, sens 91db), and sub is focal 700V. Have some surround 700V that I will wire some day. Trying to decide on best receiver. Will be used for movies/music/and video games. Biggest question has to do with power I need. With these speakers will there be a noticeable difference in sound quality between denon 2112ci and 3312ci? Posted this in denon forum also to get some opinions.

Yes you will definitely get a better sound quality between the 2112 and the 3312. The 3312 has better dacs, dsp chips, more wattage, and a better power supply. The wattage difference in and of itself probably wouldn't make a huge difference but rather the 3312's other components, ie dacs, are what is going to make the biggest difference.

Anyone here still own or have owned Cobalt 618S speakers? There isn't a lot of reviews that U can find and would be interested in anyone who has owned them what there thoughts are

Cheers

That should be a nice system. You can probably keep that Krell for a while and just slowly move up the food chain with a higher level Focal speaker. That Krell looks sweet. Like I said, that could stay with you for a long time and if you want to move up the speaker latter, that Krell can handle what ever you get for sure. But for now, enjoy that system.

Thanks for the welcome Mike.

Anyone audition the Chorus 836W yet?

Hi Jeff, I have the 836v's but I searched for the w's online but couldn't find any info on them. Are they brand new?

http://www.innerearmag.com/reviews/s...orus_836W.html

http://www.soundsandcinema.com/cgi-b...ml?id=BRTMf6um

http://cave.hometheaterhifi.com/prof...ource=activity

Thank you sir

New cabinet internal changes, new crossovers and the beloved W cone woofer from the Utopia line. Tweeter is the same.

That sound wonderful.....I'm so impressed with my v's, I can only imagine....

New to the AV world and this will be my first setup. Initially had been looking at the denon 3312ci and still considering strongly. Started looking at some other receivers in that range and now am undecided. My speakers are:
-2 focal chorus towers 714V
-center is focal profile CC908
-sub is focal chorus 700V.
-surround 2 focal chorus 700V
Will be used for movies/music/and video games all about equally. I know this is a receiver question but all my speakers are focal so I figured you all know about the best receivers to pair with focals. Budget is $1000 but feel free to post just above this if it warrants considering. Thanks for replies.

^^^^
It's a bit over your budget, but I would strongly consider the Denon 4311 over the 3312. The 4311 has the latest version of Audyssey (XT32), and for most will provide a significantly better EQ than older versions. Though you only have a single sub now, XT32 handles duals very well if you decide to add a second down the line.

It doesn't have Audyssey but to go the other way and save some $$, you can get a Yamaha RX-V667 for $320 which might do everything you need. If you have a good room the Denon Audyssey might not help that much.

What is the main difference between the 816V and the 716V line of Focals? I own the 716V's and contemplating the upgrade to the 816V, but curious if this would be a more sideways upgrade. Aren't they essentially the same speaker with a different enclosure, and crossovers etc? Would purchasing the crossovers etc, for the 816V bring me to the level of that speaker, as I believe the drivers/tweeters are the same, or am I oversimplifying here?

The 716V's are used in a two channel audio setup only.

Essentially the two speakers are very alike. The only thing that stands out to me are what you mentioned, and a newer finish. I would venture moving into the 726V or even the 800 line in order to have a more noticeable change IMO.
http://www.focal.com/en/home-audio-l...o-products.php

Does anyone know at what price range these Focal speakers start/end? I am looking at changing my Elac's FS 247's LR and the matching center with perhaps speakers from the Focal line......I am just not sure where to start. I am willing to spend a total of about $ 6K for the LR and matching Center.
I do some 2 ch listening SACD/CD etc (30%), and most of my other listening is from BD lossless movies and concert disks.

Any help is appreciated.

PS. I will be picking up the OPPO 95 and a decent Pre pro (Rotel 1572 - Review pending) or even the (Marantz AV 7005 - heard/read good things about it). The pre- pro will be powered by a Parasound Halo A51 amp that I now have in my system.

Thanks

Paul

I believe the 816V (and the larger models) have a downward firing port while the 716V does not? I have not gone to check, this is just some vague memory.

You are somewhere in the middle there, but it depends on your location. I have both the 816W and 826W pairs and the latter was about £1,800 in the UK a couple of years ago. The "W" cones add a premium over the "V" versions and are supposed to be better, but I have never actually compared. I don't think much changes until you get to the "Be" tweeters and they will be outside your range if you are looking to add a matching centre. Perhaps the newly announce 836W would suit, but these are best for a large space and can be bass heavy depending on material. The matching centre is the CC800V - a set of 3 would probably come in under your target by quite a bit, but the jump up to the 10xxBe series is far more.


I drive my 826W's with the 1572 and it is good but I would say quite clinical. I have tripped the protection when turning it up a long way - the 826W's do dip in impedence quite a bit, see the spec sheet. Again, this was just once when I was getting very enthusiastic

Thanks Peter, I appreciate the advice....now to find a local dealer so I can audition these speakers.

Paul

Have fun, auditioning is the best....let us know what you think.

OK. Back from CES. I was finally able to hear something from the Utopia III line. I heard the Diablo's with Devialet electronics. I heard plenty of very expensive systems at the show. Much more then this setup. But the Diablo speakers are really something special. If I were in that price range and I had small room, these speakers would be on a very short list. I was really impressed with how good they sounded from top to bottom. And I do mean bottom. These things have bass, and they can crank. We played some Rage and they really rocked the room. Hopefully one day I can hear the other speakers in the line but if they are anything like the Diablo, they should sound really good. Truthfully, one of the best rooms at CES.

With $6K to spend I'd be looking at the Electra Be series. I think you could get 1008Be and cc1000Be for near that price. And maybe a lot less, last years model 1007Be is discounted right now.

On the used market you could get LCR for more like $4k.

Last years model electra's are available on music direct right now for heavily discounted prices. Am I allowed to link here?

Nothing wrong with the Focal Electra's on that site, but they are the "S" series and don't have the Be tweeter. Only mentioning this as the original post referenced the beryllium tweets as a desired upgrade.

Thanks, I wasn't aware there were two series. I thought they were all Be last year as well.

Hey guys, is there anywhere online that I can go to check/verify serial numbers of Focal/JML speakers? I've got my eye on some used speakers but would like to find out a bit more about their history before pulling the trigger... such as when/where they were originally bought... if they have been in for warranty service... etc. I've checked their website without luck, perhaps it's buried somewhere. Guess I was spoiled by Pioneer when they had this type of online serial/warranty checking feature.

Also, would anyone know if Focal would be willing to do any sort of warranty transfer for a used pair of their speakers? Long shot, I know....

I realize I might have to get in touch with Focal themselves and ask directly, but just putting my feelers out there first.